How an Organized Home Can Benefit Neurodiverse Families

Home is meant to be a safe, comfortable sanctuary for everyone. It’s the place you go to relax, de-stress, and find solace from the world around you. If someone in your family is neurodiverse, they deserve to feel just as calm and relaxed at home as everyone else.

However, that can take a bit more effort.

You don’t need to change everything about your home to benefit your neurodiverse family members. Keeping things organized and clean is a great place to start and can make a big difference in how comfortable they are.

Let’s take a closer look at how an organized home can benefit your neurodiverse family, and cover some tips that can help you get started. You might find that keeping things clean and organized will end up benefitting everyone!

Why Organization Matters With Neurodiversity

To fully grasp how an organized home can benefit neurodiverse individuals, you first have to understand the ins and outs of neurodiversity. Being neurodivergent isn’t a bad thing. It doesn’t mean there’s something “wrong” with that family member. It simply means their brain works differently.

While there’s no one way for the brain to operate, research has shown that neurodivergent people tend to think differently than what is often considered “normal.” Some of the most common conditions associated with neurodiversity include:

• ADD
• ADHD
• Tourette’s
• Dyslexia
• Autism

Some of the challenges these individuals face include difficulties reading and writing, clumsiness, and difficulties with crowds. Some even have a hard time coping with loud noises and bright lights, while others find it difficult to keep still.

Unfortunately, these symptoms of neurodiversity sometimes cause issues like discrimination and bullying, especially when children express those characteristics from a young age. While it’s important to do what you can to protect your kids (even your adult children), one of the best things you can do is to provide a safe and comfortable home environment for them. You might not be able to control the outside world, but you can control what goes on under your roof. 

What Are the Benefits of an Organized Home?

Keeping your home organized can actually benefit everyone in your family. First, decluttering helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Not only will that make life easier for your neurodiverse family members, but it can help you, too. Depending on the condition your family member has, you might have to spend extra time working with them each day to get through their routine. Having a stress-free space you can go to relax will make a big difference in your mental well-being.

An organized home can also boost your confidence, teach valuable lessons to your kids about taking care of their things, and it can even boost creativity and trigger inspiration.

For a neurodiverse person, an organized home can not only help them feel calmer and less overwhelmed, but it can teach them important lessons. They can learn about productivity, time management, and efficiency. These skills are especially important for neurodivergent kids. Teaching them how to clean and keep things organized now will make it easier for them to manage healthy routines and habits as adults. These aren’t things they’re typically taught in school, so it’s up to you to help them understand the benefits of keeping things organized at home.

Cleaning and organizing can also provide a boost of confidence to neurodivergent individuals — especially those with conditions like ADHD or autism. Consider assigning small tasks based on your family member’s needs. For example, provide an incentive for completing certain tasks, or set a 15-minute timer to “gamify” chores getting done. This breaks things down into smaller, manageable pieces, and when the job is done, that person will feel good about themselves and their surroundings.

How to Keep Your Home Organized

In addition to a few of the tips listed above, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your home organized and benefit your neurodiverse family. Some of the best ways to make sure everyone is on board with the organizational process include:

• Offering small/large rewards
• Creating daily routines that carve out organization time each day
• Putting visual reminders (like sticky notes) around your home to complete tasks
• Scheduling breaks

Most importantly, consider the needs of your neurodivergent family members. Someone with autism, for example, might be overwhelmed by too much clutter. If they feel like they don’t have enough space, they’re going to be uncomfortable and their symptoms might become worse. Do what you can to gain space through organization. Things like setting up shoe racks, utilizing storage space under the stairs, and making the most of vertical space can all clear away excess clutter and keep things from feeling so cramped.

You can also help your neurodiverse family members keep their personal spaces organized. If you have a child with ADHD, for example, a cluttered closet can feel overwhelming. However, the idea of cleaning it can seem just as impossible! Help them get started by organizing things into separate piles and encouraging them to think about what they would like to keep, donate, or get rid of completely. Then, help them return everything to its proper place, and give them the challenge to maintain their organized closet by cleaning it for ten minutes each week.

An organized home will benefit the whole family. Most importantly, however, it will bolster the confidence and skills necessary for your neurodivergent family members now and in the future. Create a safe and comfortable space for yourself and for them by prioritizing organization and making regular decluttering a part of your normal routine.